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Cyprus negotiations

Ertuğruloğlu: “New process can start on a state to state basis”

Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu has stated that, since the official declaration by the UN Secretary General that the Cyprus negotiation process came to a close without a conclusion in Switzerland earlier this month, a new page should be opened on the Cyprus talks on a state-to-state basis, based on equality.

President Mustafa Akıncı has said that they are not pleased with Eide’s attitude and statements. He said, “We want Eide to be more honest. We want him to say clearly with whom the responsibility lies. We want him to publicly say what he says to us in private. However, we know that he cannot do that.”

Former negotiators Ergün Olgun and Osman Ertuğ have criticized the UN Secretary General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus Espen Barth Eide for the statements made on the issue of Security and Guarantees and for “going beyond his authority”.

Ertuğruloğlu: “The Negotiation process within present UN parameters has ended, and a new process can only begin on the basis of equality”

Minister of Foreign Affairs Tahsin Ertugruloğlu has said that the only parties responsible for the failure of the Cyprus Conference in Crans-Montana, the culmination of a 50 year negotiation process, were the Greek Cypriot side, and Greece. He said, “We don’t have any more time to be stolen and lost. This process which has been continuing within the present parameters set by the UN has ended.”

Stating that Turkey has put forth its stance towards finding a solution to the Cyprus problem, Turkish Minister of National Defence Fikri Işık stressed that Turkey will continue in its own way, and will not make any concessions over the Turkish Cypriot people’s national interests in Cyprus.

Ertuğ and Olgun: “Everyone knows which side is responsible for the failure of the talks; all parties witnessed the uncompromising attitude of the Greek Cypriot side”

In a joint statement about the Cyprus Conference, former negotiators Osman Ertuğ and Ergün Olgun said that the international community is aware where responsibility lies for the failure of the efforts to reach a federal solution in Cyprus. The uncompromising attitude of the Greek Cypriot side has been noted in the related reports of the UN Secretary-General and has been witnessed by all the parties involved, including the UN, the EU and the UK. They also added that throughout this 50 year process, the Greek side has refused UN proposals/plans for at least 15 times, thus blocking a solution. These facts, they said, have been clearly put forward by the Greek Cypriot ex-official Nikos Rolandis.

Ertuğ and Olgun stated that the negotiations to reach a federal solution in Cyprus have now undeniably come to an end, as was witnessed by the UN, the EU and the international community. They said, “all the positions, proposals, maps and documents that had been submitted so far were taken away, and resuming the negotiations is out of the question now”.

The former negotiators also pointed out that the conference in Crans-Montana represents a historical turning point, and that the Turkish Cypriot people will now continue to live with security, equality and freedom under the shelter of the TRNC. They also expressed their belief that the focus from now on should be on “improving the country both internally and externally”.

Ertuğ and Olgun also said that the experience from the last 50 years has shown that negotiating under embargoes, isolations, restrictions and not based on real equality do not serve any purpose other than maintaining the status quo, which solely benefits the Greek Cypriot side. They said, “Even if a new process starts in the future, it will not be under the conditions imposed by the Greek Cypriot side and it will not be a process without a set ending date. It should be a process based on two equal states and with the objective of finding a way to live independently as good neighbours”

Çavuşoğlu: “We will react to the steps taken by the Greek Cypriot side”

In his speech at a press conference following a meeting with the Gambian Foreign Minister, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu referred to the failed Cyprus talks and accused the Greek Cypriot side of being “insincere”.

Çavuşoğlu stated that the Greek Cypriot side continued their drilling activities in the Mediterranean, and said, “While we negotiated a solution for Cyprus, we found out that the Greek Cypriot side had brought the drilling vessel to the region to start drilling work”. The Turkish Cypriot side and Turkey have long maintained that the resources around the island should be shared by both sides.

He added that sending a drilling vessel showed the “insincere” attitude of the Greek Cypriot side towards the reunification talks that failed last week.

Çavuşoğlu stressed that they will react to the steps taken by the Greek Cypriot side. He said, “They tried to take unilateral steps, and a solution to the Cyprus problem has not been achieved because of their insincerity. We cannot ignore the unilateral steps taken by the Greek Cypriot side. We are cooperating with the Ministry of Energy on deciding what steps need to be taken. We will react to the Greek Cypriots’ unilateral actions”.

Source: TRNC Public Information Office –

To read more news and information from the TRNC Ministry of Foreign Affairs, please click here

Pictures shown are courtesy of the TRNC Public Information Office Facebook page.

EU official: the Greek side is responsible for the collapse of the Cyprus Conference

In a message shared on his social media account, the Head of the EU Cyprus Settlement Support Office – Kjartan Bjornsson, said that the Greek Cypriot side was responsible for the collapse of the Cyprus Conference.

Özgürgün: “The historical ties between the TRNC and Motherland Turkey, as well as those of the Turkish Cypriot people and the Turkish people, can never be broken”

Prime Minister Hüseyin Özgürgün criticised the Greek Cypriot Administration Leader Nikos Anastasiades, who said to the Turkish Cypriots, “Break up ties with Turkey, send the invading troops home and you can live with the Greek Cypriot people”. Özgürgün said that the ties between the TRNC and Motherland Turkey as well as the ties between the Turkish Cypriot people and the Turkish people are historical and can never be broken up.

The Prime Minister said, “The stance of the Greek Cypriot side has never changed and we can see from their approach that the Greek Cypriot Administration’s decision to commemorate the Enosis plebiscite at schools was aimed to remind the new generations of their ties with Greece. They also have no intention of finding a federal solution based on the equality of the two constituent states.

Özgürgün continued, “The negative attitude of the Greeks and Greek Cypriots was observed by the UN, the EU and all the parties in Crans-Montana, as they sought ways to break up the relationship between the Turkish Cypriot people and Motherland Turkey”.

Türkeş to Anastasiades: “You should cut your ties with Greece first”

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Tuğrul Türkeş commented on President Nikos Anastasiades’ recent statement during a press conference calling on “the Turkish Cypriots to cut the umbilical cord with Turkey”, and stated, “The Greek Cypriot side should cut their ties with Greece first”.

In a tweet, Türkeş said, “The Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Anastasiades has no right to speak about Turkey and its relationship with the Turkish Cypriots”.

Türkeş continued, “Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots have an unbreakable historical tie, and Anastasiades should stop his daily bad habits and make statements with a healthy mind. The Greek leadership also decided to commemorate the Enosis plebiscite at their schools recently, so perhaps the Greek Cypriot side should cut their ties with Greece first”.

Saner meets Secretary General of Organization of Islamic Cooperation Dr. Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen and the representatives of member states

TRNC Minister of Labour and Social Security Hamza Ersan Saner held bilateral meetings with Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Dr. Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen and representatives of the member states, within the framework of his visit to the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire yesterday.

During his meeting with the Secretary General of the OIC, Saner briefed him about the recent developments in Cyprus and he expressed his belief that the OIC would further increase its support to the Turkish Cypriot people.

In his speech during the 44th Council of Foreign Ministers conference in Abidjan, Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, Saner called for IIT member states to show solidarity with the Turkish Cypriot people and to take concrete steps to stop the isolation imposed on them.

Müftüoğlu: Kocias’ comments that Turkey displayed an uncompromising attitude during the conference are unacceptable

The Turkish Foreign Ministry’s Spokesman, Ambassador Hüseyin Müftüoğlu, said that the Greek Foreign Minister Nicos Kocias’ statement saying that Turkey had displayed an uncompromising attitude at the Cyprus Conference in Crans-Montana is unacceptable.

Müfütoğlu stressed that Turkey participated in the Cyprus Conference in order to find a just and permanent solution to the Cyprus problem with good intentions and a constructive attitude. He said, “All the participants know who was really unconstructive at the conference. We are not surprised by the unfounded efforts of Kocias to blame Turkey, because they are an attempt to disguise the fact that the negotiations failed because of their uncompromising attitude. We invite Kocias, who exerted no effort towards a positive conclusion of the conference, to behave responsibly from now on”.

Source: TRNC Public Information Office –

To read more news and information from the TRNC Ministry of Foreign Affairs, please click here

Pictures shown are courtesy of the TRNC Public Information Office Facebook page.

Addressing the 22nd World Petroleum Congress held at İstanbul Congress Centre during the opening ceremony, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, “Unfortunately, an important opportunity was missed last week for the Eastern Mediterranean and we are saddened by the fact that the disagreements on the island were once again left unresolved despite the constructive approach of the Turkish Cypriot side and Turkey”.

Before leaving Switzerland, President Akıncı evaluated the Cyprus Conference, which took place from 28 June to 7 July 2017 in Crans-Montana, at a press conference. Akıncı said that they are saddened by the outcome, but that they did their utmost to find a solution.

Pointing out that he carried out the negotiations together with the negotiating team during the last two years of the 50-year-old Cyprus problem, Akıncı said, “The real architect of the five-party conference is the Turkish Cypriot side. If we had not made such steady and persistent efforts in this regard, I believe that this process would not have come to this stage, it could not have”.

Stating that it was possible to create an environment from which both sides win, and that they were very close to that point, Akıncı said, “Unfortunately, no result has been achieved and now both sides lost”.

Akıncı emphasized that he wants to make an objective assessment and that all his work has been carried out to establish a bi-communal, bi-zonal federal structure in which Turkish Cypriots would live in equality, security and freedom, and added, “Of course if these conditions will not be available, I cannot recommend our people to make an agreement”

Stating that the Greek Cypriot side said that the failure of the conference was due only to military and security issues, Akıncı pointed to the UN Secretary-General Guterres’ statement and stressed that the failure was not because of the military issue.

Akıncı also said that there was a difference in approach from the beginning of the talks, and claimed that the Greek Cypriot side insistently tried to turn the conference into a conference on security and guarantees.

Erdoğan: “We have a Plan B and Plan C”

In a press conference during the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan evaluated the Cyprus Conference, which has failed after 10 days of negotiations in Switzerland. He said, “The second session of the Cyprus Conference which started on 28 June has been unsuccessful despite all our efforts. The self-sacrificing efforts and the sincere attitudes of both Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot side were not reciprocated and we are very saddened by the result. This outcome reached after such long efforts shows the impossibility of finding a solution within the framework of the UN parameters. There is no point in insisting on these parameters any longer”.

Turkey will continue its efforts to find a solution to the problem within different parameters. We expect the same attitude from all related parties. Otherwise, we will assess plans B and C.

Erdoğan also said that they will share the decisions taken in relation to the Cyprus issue with their counterparts.

Özgürgün: “UN Officials should make it clear that a solution cannot be reached within the framework of the UN Parameters”

Prime Minister Hüseyin Özgürgün said that UN Officials should make it clear that a solution cannot be reached within the framework of the UN Parameters, or otherwise uncertainty will continue.

Speaking at an activity, Özgürgün said that the argument that says that nothing can happen if there is no agreement is not true, and that there are many things that can be done even if there is no agreement. Ozgurgun added that the outcome of the Cyprus Conference is due to events from the past.

Indicating that the Turkish Cypriots demand a solution within the framework of the UN parameters which are bi-communality, political equality of the two people and the equal status of two constituent states, Ozgürgün said that the Greek Cypriot side has been rejecting these parameters for 48 years.

The Prime Minister stressed that the Turkish Cypriot people’s only wish is equality, and that they deserve a decent life just like the Greek Cypriots. He also added that the Turkish Cypriots have never proposed to unite the island with Turkey unlike Greek Cypriots who advocate for unification with Greece.

Yildirim : “Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot side delegations have done everything they could”

Speaking about the Cyprus Conference, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said, “Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot side delegations have done everything they could to find a solution”.

Answering questions from the press, Yıldırım said, “Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot side delegations have done everything they could and made a huge effort to have a constructive attitude from the beginning. The Turkish side has always said that they really wanted a solution. However, the unilateral EU membership of the Greek Cypriot side after the referendum in 2004, has prepared the ground for what happened in the conference.

Yıldırım continued, “The Greek Cypriot Administration of South Cyprus did not have a constructive attitude, which was easy for them because they already are an EU member. The issue of ‘Security and Guarantees’ is our sine qua none and there cannot be any concessions on this because we don’t want the terrible events of the past to be repeated”.

Atun participates in the 22nd World Petroleum Congress

Minister of Economy and Energy Sunat Atun is participating in the 22nd World Petroleum Congress that started in Istanbul yesterday.

The congress, of which the main theme is ‘Bridges to our Energy Future’, will continue until the 13th of July and the issues of oil, gas, energy efficiency and regional energy development will be discussed. (BRTK)

Source: TRNC Public Information Office –

To read more news and information from the TRNC Ministry of Foreign Affairs, please click here

Pictures shown are courtesy of the TRNC Public Information Office Facebook page.